From: United Kingdom & Ireland
Couple account
Ireland, United Kingdom
01/07/2019 - 31/08/2019
Hello,
We are a couple from Ireland and England who met last year in Spain and have been living and travelling together ever since. We have both worked as therapists in the past but left this work due to an interest in living off grid, practicing sustainable living, permaculture and alternative health practices.
Matt worked as an arborist for many years and we both have some experience with permaculture principles and gardening. We recently required an off grid property in New Zealand which we are wanting to develop in the long term as self sustainable as possible. The property is very remote and consists of bush, organic gardens an orchard and is fully off grid (solar, spring water, vermiculture waste system). This is a big and exciting project for us. For visa reasons we are currently taking a few months away from home but plan to return to NZ around September 2019.
We've just spent the last three months in Brazil and Peru visiting friends and helping out with their projects there. We're now back in the UK/Ireland to see family and hopefully do some useful volunteer work to learn from others on a similar path and acquire some skills while contributing to some worthwhile projects.
We are interested in increasing our skills and knowledge in the following areas - sustainable living, permaculture, organic food growing. beekeeping, smallholding, animal care (pigs, goats, ducks, geese, chickens etc), learning to build eco buildings e.g. geodesic dome, greenhouses, polytunnels. We are also interested in food preservation, fermented foods etc. We eat a predominantly vegan wholefood diet but occasionally eat meat/fish. Matt is interested in learning to hunt and process wild game and we are also currently researching how to keep bees.
We're decent human being with open hearts and minds. We have both previously worked in mental health, but are now looking for alternative ways to be of service to others while honouring ourselves and our commitment to learning to live more in harmony with the earth. We are fit and healthy and capable of hard work. We are interested in wellbeing and both practice yoga, meditation, periodic fasting etc. We like the outdoors and enjoy hiking, beach swimming, and surfing on small days. We are both very well travelled and spend a lot of time reading and learning about new things. We are social but also fairly introverted so happy to interact as needed but also able to entertain ourselves and enjoy living in remote spots.
We hope you'll be willing to have us and look forward to meeting you.
Gardening
Building
Babysitting / child care
General Maintenance
Cooking / shopping
Farmstay
Other
Help with Eco project
Help in the house
Animal care
Charity work
Language practice
As above. Main skills we can offer are as follows;
Arborist - Matt has over ten years experience
Gardening - weeding, planting, tree pruning, some knowledge of permaculture principles and practices (self taught and keen to learn more)
Well travelled, hard working, willing to learn, fit and healthy
Animal care - Both love animals. Have kept dogs and horses in the past. Interested in learning about other livestock. birds, bees etc
Childcare - Like kids and willing to help out and hang out with kids/teenagers as needed
English, Spanish
39 & 31
Smoker
Driver's licence
Allergies
No
Special dietary requirements
Vegan preferred
